Kerry to bow out of '08 presidential race (plans to announce today)

[sabra]

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/24/kerry_to_bow_out_of_08_presidential_race/

Kerry to bow out of '08 presidential race

WASHINGTON --Senator John F. Kerry plans to announce today that he is bowing out of the 2008 presidential race, and will instead remain in Congress and seek reelection to his Senate seat next year, according to senior Democratic officials.
Article Tools

Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, plans to say he will remain in the Senate to recommit himself to efforts to extricate the United States from the war in Iraq. His decision to stay out of the presidential race reflects a realization that he would have had an uphill climb in capturing the Democratic nomination, given the other party heavyweights who are already in the race, according to the officials, who spoke to the Globe on condition of anonymity.

Kerry, the party's 2004 presidential nominee, has been acting like a 2008 candidate virtually since he lost to President Bush -- traveling the country, spreading money to other Democratic candidates, and keeping in place a campaign infrastructure that was ready for another presidential bid.

But according to Kerry associates, the senator's plans changed dramatically in the fallout of his election-eve "botched joke" about the education levels of US troops. The harsh reaction to that incident -- from many Democrats as well as Republicans -- displayed to Kerry the extreme skepticism within his own party about whether he should mount another run.

[wakeme2008]

1. Good,, he was not on my list of ppl I want as the Dem candidate

:)

Gore

Clarke

:)

[Pierogi_Pincher]

23. Oh well. I wonder

if there'll be others. Of course, he had our votes in '04, but I wasn't particularly enamoured of him this time around. Agreed that he will be more effective in Senate.

Oh yeah,

GORE/CLARK '08

P_P

[MH1]

27. It's really sad.

Most people in this country have NO idea what they lost in 2004, and what they are losing today.

:(


But Kerry will continue to fight for us. :patriot:

The problem is, we will as likely as not end up with either a corporatist or ineffective, inexperienced President - and that's if a Dem wins - and he will have to fight against them as well. Sigh.

Hope died today, after a very long illness.

[rodeodance]

55. I am sad also. He is such an intellectual.

[monarch]

2. Wow! You're quick. Just saw it myself on MSNBC. n/t

[zann725]

Keith O's sarcasm regarding JK was downright mean.Followed immed. by Hilary's stone-cold face.

...and KO's shameless sucking-up.

That's when I clicked KO's show off for the VERY LAST time! I much prefer Stewart &/or Colbert. KO swiftboating JK today "sealed" it for me. KO's animosity toward king-of-hate (O'Reilly) makes KO growingly similar to his favorite nemesis.

[zann725]

86. Keith O's sarcasm regarding JK was downright mean.Followed immed. by Hilary's stone-cold face.

...and KO's shameless sucking-up.

That's when I clicked KO's show off for the VERY LAST time! I much prefer Stewart &/or Colbert. KO swiftboating JK today "sealed" it for me. KO's animosity toward king-of-hate (O'Reilly) makes KO growingly similar to his favorite nemesis.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. Wise decision

Now, what about that money he's sitting on?

[Just-plain-Kathy]

18. That's the first thing that came to my mind.

That along with knowing he's pretty smart, maybe he knows there's no beating Hillary...Not that I think Hillary is so great.

I think Kerry may feel Hillary's a corporate democrat with an unbeatable war chest.

[orleans]

26. i thought of the money also. didn't he have plenty left over and unused

for the uncontested election in 04?

(glad he's not running)

[fujiyama]

76. Not sure if he gave it all

but I know he gave a LOT to congressional candidates in '06...

[marshall]

82. Senator Clinton owns it

It's her primary and her win.

[madame defarge]

4. Whew.

He's best in the Senate. Maybe he'd consider trying for leader of the senate.

[Vidar]

19. Good idea. Kerry is great in the Senate.

[blm]

5. Very sad day for the anti-corruption, open government wing of the Democratic Party.

The coverup Democrats targetted who they needed to target and the corporate media helped them do it.

Coverup Democrats are vile, soulless creatures.

[iconoclastic cat]

7. Wha? nt

[glitch]

11. Yes. But maybe he envisions a whole lot of investigations coming from the Senate

which he can lead. A lot of hard work still to be done there. I would love to see that especially with a executive that backs him up. Or what about Attorney General? A huge amount of clean-up to be done in the DOJ.

But it is disappointing. And if Gore doesn't run either it will be heartbreaking.

[jgraz]

50. Exactly -- if you're really into going after corruption, 2006-2008 Congress is where it's at

I was truly bummed that Feingold decided not to run, but let's hope that BOTH of them kick some serious Chimpy ass over the next 2 years.

[glitch]

53. You ain't a kidding.

Here's hoping! :toast:

[appal_jack]

77. word-up

Kerry strikes me as a supreme parliamentarian (a trait that became a liability as he ran for pres. in '04). I will continue to appreciate his skills as a Senator, and only wish that my stste (NC) had even one Senator fit to tie Kerry's shoelaces (Dole probably can't tie a knot on her own, and Burr would get the shoelaces all covered with pestilent slime).

Here's another DU'er hoping Kerry uses his parliamentarian skills to get some good, open-government investigations going!!!

-app

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

85. Now he can expose the BFEE without fear of losing the Presidency!

It's a great day!

:party:

[iconoclastic cat]

6. The irrelevance is astounding. nt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. I no longer expected him to run again

At first I thought he would but more recently I've noticed him distancing himself.

He once again would not have been my first choice and I'm not let down by this news.

[barb162]

9. Like you, I didn't expect him to run

so it's no surprise. I wonder why he even announced he wasn't running.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

20. He'll announce this because he's alluded to the fact that he might run

He has an endorsement and (perhaps) the remains of his war chest from 2004 to offer to another candidate. This gives him a bit more leverage when gathering support for his projects in the senate.

[barb162]

22. thanks for that info

He's been so out of the picture lately it seems

[Ignacio Upton]

81. After the "botched joke" he's been declining in the polls

And since then, we haven't even heard any back room chatter from the Kerry camp about another run.

[monarch]

10. Posted in wrong thread

[UrbScotty]

12. Hallelujah!!

With all due respect to Kerry, he is, quite frankly, one of the more embarrassing Democrats today. Which is why the media saw to it that he was nominated in 2004 instead of Dean.

[blm]

21. Yes - the media has told us for years that Dems aren't SUPPOSED to uncover

and investigate government corruption, they are supposed to be bi-partisan and let GOP administrations off the hook for their crimes of office. So...yeah....Kerry has been a big embarrassment to the coverup Democrats in the coverup wing of the Democratic party.

You can't name ONE OTHER Democrat who has effected this nation's REAL history more positively than John Kerry has the past 35 years of public service.

He only prevented the march to fascism that would have succeeded by the early 90s if he hadn't stepped up and uncovered IranContra, illegal wars in Central America and BCCI.

This country would have been well on its way into New World Order by the mid90s.

[MH1]

32. Riiigghhhtttt...

:rofl:

Let's see what the others look like in 18 months, after the right wing and Hillary get done with them.

[madmunchie]

13. Now this makes sense

When I heard Kennedy say that he would support Kerry if her were to run, I wondered how he could commit to Kerry not knowing who else might run. Now it makes sense, Kennedy said that knowing that Kerry probably would not run.


NOOOOO not cynacism, just logic.

[ohio2007]

14. Will he answer the $14 million dollar question from '04

he never fully depleted the '04 war chest. I'm sure archives on this site contain links/threads to debate the question.

That money could come in handy to any canidate that asks him about it.

[MH1]

31. I expect him to spend it wisely.

And that most certainly will NOT be by giving it to "any canidate (sic) that asks him about it".

[ohio2007]

84. remember, money talks. I don't think he is required to give it back

but it could win him some influence in Denver

[nitpicker]

15. About time.

With all the other choices available this time, why he made noises about running this time was puzzling.

[blm]

24. Yeah - now you'll have the choice between coverup Dems and coverup Dems.

No investigation Dems are always most popular in DC and the corpmedia.

[maddezmom]

25. could you list or define cover up Dems?

Just so we all have an idea who you are referring to?

[blm]

29. Read this - then stay alert to which lawmakers have 'no interest' in investigations

or want to move on to bipartisanship and forget the crimes so that they may 'unify' the country.

It's been going on a long time, and will continue to go on with the new crop of Dem lawmakers.

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/111106.html

[maddezmom]

33. thanks for the link, I'll bookmark it and read it in full tomorrow

:hi: I supported JK last election and respect his decision.

[MH1]

30. Not speaking for blm, but Clinton shut down Kerry's investigations in the 90's.

Hillary has been making nice with Rupert Murdoch, and sharing the RW playbook against Democrats.

So, does that suggest that she will continue to cover for corporate cronies? :shrug:

[Rowdyboy]

16. I wish him a happy and lengthy career of service in the senate.....

He chose wisely

[onehandle]

17. I guess DU won't have Senator Kerry to kick around any more.

Now they can concentrate on Hillary or any other Democrat who's to the "Right" of Hugo Chavez.

[jgraz]

49. nobody wanted to kick around *Senator* Kerry

We just didn't like *Candidate* Kerry. But, YES, if this means fewer flame-fests on DU, that's just another side benefit.

[w4rma]

28. He would have been better than Hillary. (nt)

[jobycom]

34. Sad, in a way. The media really did a number on him, and

both parties bought into it. Another hero is murdered by the people he fought for.

A lot of upside to his decision, though. He probably wouldn't have won the nomination, so his energy can be better spent in the Senate. I hope he keeps the same energy and vision he's had since the election. he's been a champion for us, and I hope he can keep that up. Like Al Gore, his reputation will improve drastically now that he's dropped out. The same people who blasted him as a weak-willed conservative sell-out will now proclaim him a martyr of the DLC or whatever boogeyman emerges by 2008.

[TheCowsCameHome]

35. Fine. It's his choice. Now let's move on.

He is my senator, and I will continue to vote for him whenever I can.

He's opting out, and I wish him well.

Now let's go forward with another candidate and win in '08.

[katsy]

36. It would be pretty damned funny if...

a Gore/Kerry ticket came out of nowhere.

Kerry's a good man and a good Senator.

[Alexander]

37. Good.

He'd never win.

Now maybe the DUers still fellating Kerry will be a little less obnoxious.

[cadmium]

63. Fellating Kerry--What do you mean?

[Alexander]

66. Constantly plugging him and viciously attacking other DUers and Democrats...

Who do not worship at the altar of all that is Kerry.

These people know who they are, their presence is obvious and quite hard to miss. Everyone supports their candidate for their own reasons, but some of the nastiest, most vicious attacks I've seen on DU come from some of these Kerry supporters. I'm not naming names, but you can easily find hundreds of their posts within 5 minutes today on DU.

I've drawn the ire of these Kerrybots many times by mentioning his weaknesses, even if my post is generally supportive or appreciative of his Senate work. Many of these lovely individuals accuse me and others of supporting the "coverup wing" of the Democratic party, a phrase that gets bandied about so much that it has since become meaningless.

They simply will not accept that the man has a single human flaw, or that he did anything wrong at all in 2004 (or ever), and constantly attack the rest of the candidates as being all the same when they really aren't.

These supporters do Kerry an injustice and probably turned a lot of DUers off to the idea of him running again. I don't doubt he'd be a decent president, but one good thing about him not running is that the hysterical supporters will have to find something else to do with their time.

[cadmium]

70. ThaI's what I figured. I am one of the regular Kerry supporters.

In this post you sound like a reasonably intelligent person, so you will understand why I find your equating our support to giving him oral sex unamusing. Defenses of Kerry here have been far less crude than the attacks

[uppityperson]

38. Best wishes to him as a Senator and thanks for the work he does. eom

[Infinite Hope]

39. Good. Now we won't have to hear the media insult Democrats by hammering Kerry's comments n/t

[Infinite Hope]

40. CNN Just Now: Kerry to announce he won't run.

If I heard correctly, CNN just said he is to make an announcement on the floor of the Senate that he will not run. They will discuss it when they return from commercial.

It'll be interesting to see where his support goes - probably disproportionately to Edwards. I also think Richardson could be a benefactor from the "experience" vote.

[xultar]

41. I would have been nice to have his voice in the field though.

[Marnieworld]

42. Smart Man

I love Kerry but it would be wise to sit one out so he can start fresh again.

[d_b]

43. That sucks

He'd be a great President.

[Jackpine Radical]

44. I guess I can't really say I'm sorry.

The Kerry of 1973, the Kerry of 1986, yes, Hell yes, I'd back him, I'd fight for him. But the Kerry of 2004? I'll take Al, I'll take Jim Webb, I'd take Feingold if I could get him.

[CoffeeCat]

45. I loved Kerry in '00....

...but I also love the idea of Kerry slugging it out in the
Senate for the next couple of years.

We desperately need his intelligence and his common sense.

I'm glad he's not running. Now, when he speaks or brings forth ideas--
the media won't be able to suggest that he's jockeying for position in
the Presidential campaigns.

John can just be his brilliant, amazing self and work hard to stop the
dangerous thugs that now inhabit the White House.

He's an awesome investigator. We're going to need his skills during
these next two pivotal years.

[DrZeeLit]

68. Agree! He will be able to say anything now, use his voice to end the war and

work for the good of those w/o a voice.

He is an intelligent public servant.
Without the attending spotlight on his every nuance and garment choice, without the swiftboaters frothing at the mouth, without second guesses about polls, prayers, and money (are you listening, Hillary?) John Kerry can do great good. I hope he continues to speak out and make waves.

He's still my hero.

[Renew Deal]

46. He didn't have much support.

His poll numbers were terrible. The question is who will Kerry endorse. That's important!

[wisteria]

47. He had a ton of support from the people. It was the party that didn't support him.

Rather go with more of the same for President.

[rodeodance]

56. nicely said.

[zann725]

87. Exactly. Too much integrity...among other things. I won't be voting in '08 now,for sure.

[liberalpragmatist]

90. He may not make any endorsement

Generally, former nominees or presidents don't make endorsements. It's not an absolute, of course. If a home-state politician is running, they often get endorsed (i.e. Dukakis endorsed Kerry) and obviously if a relative is running (nobody wonders who Bill Clinton is backing). And of course, Al Gore weighed in during the '04 campaign with his Dean endorsement.

My guess is Kerry will endorse Edwards or Biden if he makes an endorsement, but he may just stay out of it and endorse the winner.

[jgraz]

48. Excellent -- now he can concentrate on being a great senator

That's what he's best at, and he'll get all the support I can give him.

Good move, John.

[Cha]

51. Kerry is intelligent, caring, and

dedicated to our cause. If he feels he wouldn't be the nominee then I thank him for bowing out so he can give his energy behind someone viable who isn't fucking dlc.

[Acadia Blue]

52. I donated lots to him and he wimped out by not fighting the Ohio steal

[MH1]

54. Wow, as someone who appreciates your avatar,

might I ask you to revisit #3 on the Eightfold Path? And consider where you are posting and how many of us feel right now?

Thanks in advance.

[MurrayDelph]

58. When discussing politics, If you try to choose words that offend nobody

you may as well say nothing at all.

There are many of us here that agree that Kerry should have fought (as he had promised he would)
against the "irregularities" in Ohio, but feel that, in the end his Skull-and-Bones loyalty outweighed his Democratic (and American) loyalties.

[hedgehog]

57. He has to be respected for making this announcement so soon.

By removing himself so early, he's allowing his supporters to move on and make a selection from the field. I think he was at best a long shot for the nomination and if he had held on his supporters might have seen their second choice closed out early. This way they can look over the field and select a new candidate while he or she is still in the running.

[420inTN]

59. I didn't realize he was in the race. n/t

[qanda]

60. Good

People always seem to be better when they aren't parsing their words for the masses.

[fishwax]

61. I think it's a good decision for John Kerry, and

I think that he can and will continue to do good work for this country.

:toast: to John Kerry :toast:

[MirrorAshes]

62. I adore Kerry but this is the right move for '08.

He just needs more time before he can have a real shot again.

[mvd]

64. He does a perfectly good job in the Senate and I'm fine with..

this decision. He would have made a great President, but personally, I think even Hillary has a better chance of winning.

[darkstar7646]

65. Kerry never wanted to be President anyway...

He was just a media shill for Bush that kept Howard Dean from the race.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[DrZeeLit]

72. Stepped in front of a bullet lately? Do so, then tell who is rubbish. n/t

[zann725]

88. Welcome newbie "Darkstar," but clearly your knowledge of JK is tainted.

n/t

[Divine Discontent]

91. your knowledge of JFK

is horribly misguided. he's fought for CITIZEN rights for 35 years in the congress and during the VN war.

Rubbish???

The man was supposedly, under 60,000 votes turning his way in Ohio from being President. I don't think that's someone that people didn't like. We're all just pissed he didn't win, and sorta blame him. He's a great American... so, frankly, your comment, especially as a newbie, is retarded.


www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable

[Eurobabe]

67. Had a feeling he was not going to run

I also don't think Wes Clark (my candidate in 04) is going to run either. But who knows? :shrug:

[Zenlitened]

69. Sad, in a way. While I have plenty of criticism for the way he ran his 2004 campaign...

... I think he's truly a good man who would have been a terrific president.

It seemed to me that he forgot that running for president and being president are two very different things. Much like Al Gore in 2000, IMO. But Gore has found fire-in-the-belly as he works on climate change now, and I hope Kerry will do the same as he focuses on his work in the Senate.

No Kerry-slams from this Deaniac. ;)

[davhill]

71. He lost me when he apologized

He should have immediately gone on the offensive, attacking Bush's lack of intelect, and making it look like those Democrats who attacked him were defending Bush, not the troops. Swiftboat me once, shame on you; swiftboat me twice, shame on me.

[kestrel91316]

73. I am sad. I would love to see him in the White House.

As long as he does a good job of going after the bad guys from his Senate seat, that will have to be enough for me...............

Sigh. He's such a dish, too.

[eagler]

93. It's our loss . He's one of the good guys.

I hope we can all learn a lesson about letting people be swiftboated.

[VolcanoJen]

74. Kerry deserves credit, and our thanks.

For opting out of the 2008 race early, I think John Kerry has done the correct, and dignified thing.

He deserves our gratitude, and our respect. I'm certainly not going to kick him in the ass as he leaves the race, while promising to continue his good work in the Senate, vowing to bring our troops home.

[maddezmom]

80. hey there

just want to say, thanks for being there for me when all the bad stuff went down. :hug:

[fujiyama]

75. Stupid fuckin Globe

can't even report that the botched joke wasn't about "the education levels of US troops". It was about the education level of our dimwit president.

Kerry is a good guy and would probably have been a great president had he been elected, but he made too many mistakes that a seasoned politician SHOULDN'T have made...That "botched joke" was blown waaaay out of proportion, but Kerry really should have known better, especially considering his likelyhood of getting the nomination again was so low to begin with.

[hyphenate]

78. Too bad

I really wanted a Gore-Kerry ticket for '08. If neither of them are going to run, I will have to rethink my own preferences on who I choose to support. The field is so large already, I think I might wait a few months until I see who else chimes in, or until I have far better of a feel for who will benefit the country the most. There are, however, a few I could never support, at least in this race, and one of them is definitely Jeb Bush. ;)

That was a joke in case someone doesn't get it. I also can't see me supporting Brownback or McCain, either. :rofl:

If you're old enough to remember "ABB" the new slogan is "ABR" for "Anyone But a Republican."

[against all enemies]

79. Thanks John Kerry. You're a good man and Senator but it wasn't

your year. Hopefully the party will appreciate this thoughful gift.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

83. Excellent. He would not have gotten my vote anyway.

I haven't trusted him since he made a certain phone call to a certain dictator-wannabe. I've never seen anybody cave so quickly than on that day.

[wisteria]

89. Thanks for the sympathy for a true fighter and our 04 presidental nominee.

Oh, and one that wanted to be President that he would never have conceded if he had a chance.

[Baclava]

94. I have to agree...

But Hillary would have eaten him for lunch anyway. Less blood in the water.

[Fovea]

92. A responsible move

from someone who is still red meat to the Rove Manure Machine. Hillary would have done well to emulate him, IMO.

[Boo Boo]

95. Hillary just picked up the backing of an Iranian-American fellow who

raised HUGE money for Kerry in '04. I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. The guy's name is Hassan Nemazee, he is associated with IAPAC and served as Kerry's NY finance chair, as well as the NY finance chair for Shumer's DSCC. The story was on the wire a couple days ago; Josh Marshall covered it on his Talking Points Memo web site.

Nemazee raised 75 million for Kerry in '04, and 115 million for the DSCC. It's not hard to imagine that if Kerry were sitting on the fence about running, losing the support of somebody like that would impact his decision in a major way. The king makers are lining up for Hillary. The East Coast establishment is Kerry's base; if he doesn't have that, he doesn't have a campaign.

Gotta be a bitter pill to swallow.